[Avodah] Geirut for marriage

[Micha Berger]

On Wed, Feb 10, 2010 at 08:47:27AM -0500, Rich, Joel wrote:
: IIUC the rule is we don't lchatchila accept a ger who wishes to convert
: to marry, but bdieved "kulam geirim heim"

: 1. I assume this prohibition is on a rabbinic level-is it?

I understood it on very different terms.

But we debated this in
http://www.aishdas.org/avodah/getindex.cgi?section=G#GEIRUT

A convert who isn't meqabel ol mitzvos isn't a ger. But we're not
psychic, so we have to rely on watching behavior, listening to what the
person says, and relying on chazaqos that the qabbalah is real.

When the person has an alternate motive, it becomes far more difficult
to rely on the chazaqah. And so, as the Rambam writes (Issurei Bi'ah
13:14):
    ... ve'afilu noda shbishvil davar hu misgayeir
    ho'il unal vetaval
    yatza mikelal goyim
    vechosheshin lo
    ad sheyiba'eir tzidquso.

The issur is in creating dilemma -- a person who no longer has a
chazaqah of being a non-Jew, but we have cheshashos whether he is really
one of us.

Bedi'eved, a chazaqah is a chazaqah. But who wants to get to that point?

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Strength does not come from winning. Your
micha at aishdas.org        struggles develop your strength When you go
http://www.aishdas.org   through hardship and decide not to surrender,
Fax: (270) 514-1507      that is strength.        - Arnold Schwarzenegger